Tam Giang Lagoon, Hue

Tam Giang Lagoon lies where the O Lau, Huong (Perfume) and Bo rivers meet the sea. It is part of the Tam Giang – Cau Hai system, a chain of brackish lagoons about 68 km long covering roughly 22,000 hectares, often described as the largest lagoon system in Southeast Asia. Since 2020 part of it has been protected as the Tam Giang – Cau Hai Wetland Nature Reserve. Few foreign visitors come here, yet the lagoon is beautiful at sunset, when the water turns gold between the fish traps and shrimp ponds.

I. Highlights of Tam Giang Lagoon

Tam Giang is 24 km long and is situated in an area of more than 50 square kilometers. You can go along the lagoon by a small boat starting from Thuan An harbor. If you want to visit Thai Duong Ha village, wait for about 30 minutes while going through some bridges and fields along the lagoon.

Right from the dock, tourists will be in awe with a pretty crowded, hustling and bustling market trading a variety of different commodities, especially when evening comes and sunset purple light is shining on the wooden boats full of fresh seafood including shrimp, fish, squid, etc. If you come to this place in Spring, you may have a chance to participate in “Cau Ngu” festival, which takes place each 3 years.

In Thai Duong Ha, there is also a pagoda named Thai Quoc. It is a combination of both modern and traditional architecture of Vietnam. This region is solemn and peaceful and is surrounded by lots of trees. The way leading to it is clean and is paved with concrete. 

Additionally, the dawn and sunset in Tam Giang Lagoon are one of those tourists can’t find anywhere else in the country. How beautiful it is when the horizon stretches halfway across, glowing silvery brilliant sunlight on the water surface. Even in the bleak landscape of a rainy afternoon, Tam Giang still shows up its wild beauty. When the ultimate sunbeam of the day suddenly rose up in immense tranquil space, this will create indescribable emotions for you.

II. What to Do at Tam Giang Lagoon?

The most common thing people usually do when visiting Tam Giang Lagoon is to:

• Take a boat trip and join local people to go fishing, preparing meals for the day while enjoying the natural vibe of this gorgeous lagoon. You can help the locals with their work or just sit and chat with friendly ones
• Spend time wandering along the place admiring the spontaneous view in the early morning or late afternoon 
• Enjoy some specialties such as shrimp and cuttle-fish 
• Take some pictures with a sparkling view

The best plan recommended for tourists is visiting a farming village in the ancient Hue to see how local people do their gardening on a regular basis first. Next, stop at a craft village to buy some souvenirs. Finally, your last destination is Tam Giang Lagoon where you can go fishing and prepare meals with the locals.

III. Where to Eat in Tam Giang Lagoon?

If you do not want to cook and eat with the local people, you can totally taste delicious Vietnamese cuisine in some restaurants near here.

• Market Place Restaurant

Location: Cu Du Village, Loc Vinh Commune, Phu Loc, Vietnam

• Moomba Restaurant

Location: Loc Vinh Commune, Phu Loc, Vietnam

• The Water Court Restaurant

Location: Loc Vinh Commune, Phu Loc, Vietnam

IV. How to Get There?

It is highly recommended to spend a day trip visiting Tam Giang Lagoon from Hue. Motorbike or private car is highly suggested to use to reach Tam Giang on account of their convenience. The routes here are super simple so everyone can drive on their own. 

V. Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit Tam Giang Lagoon is in the dry season, which is between February and July. This is the time when floods and storms do not visit this beautiful region and the sun shines throughout the day. The waves are gentle, creating the most romantic scene when it comes to dawn and sunset. 

VI. Chuon Lagoon (Dam Chuon): Where Is It and What to Do?

Chuon Lagoon (Dam Chuon) is a brackish lagoon of about 100 hectares in the Tam Giang – Cau Hai system, right beside An Truyen village, which locals call Lang Chuon. The village used to be in Phu An commune, Phu Vang district; since July 2025 it has been part of My Thuong ward, Hue City. It lies about 10 km by road north-east of central Hue (roughly 20 to 25 minutes by car or motorbike), on the Hue side of the Thuan An estuary, about 4 km from the river mouth in a straight line.

The water is cut into plots by net fences on stakes, known locally as chan sao or no sao, with small stilt huts (nha cho) standing among the pens. Fishing boats work through the night and bring the catch to the landing early in the morning, when a small fish market forms there. In visitors’ videos from 2023 to 2026, people come out in the late afternoon and take a small boat out among the nets to watch the sun go down; Tuoi Tre newspaper also calls late afternoon the lagoon’s best hour.

Several restaurants stand out on the water, and diners are ferried over by boat from the landing. They serve what comes out of the lagoon: ca kinh (a small lagoon fish), ca dia, sand shrimp (tom dat), lagoon crab and rau cau seaweed. The dish to try is banh xeo ca kinh, a crisp pancake with a whole ca kinh fried inside. We could not find menu prices confirmed by two independent sources, so ask the price per kilo before you order seafood.

Come from April to July, the harvest season, when the lagoon is busiest and visitors can join fishermen emptying traps and pulling nets. In September 2026 the Hue City chairman asked for an overall plan for Chuon Lagoon covering boat lanes, landings, restaurant areas and the position of fish traps, so the layout may change in the coming years. To see it at dawn instead, our Sunrise on Tam Giang Lagoon half-day tour takes a boat to the Chuon area, lets you try casting a fishing net and includes a seafood tasting.

Tam Giang Lagoon in Hue is truly gorgeous. So let’s spend a day trip to this attraction to gain memorable experiences for your trip in Vietnam.